Bolt Replacement Testing - Core Drill & Hydraulic Punch Driver

These are the results of several tests conducted by the Action Committee for Eldorado on April 16, 2012. The purpose of the session was to begin to develop best practices for climbing anchor removal and replacement for Eldorado State Park, with a mind to re-use the original hole, thereby limiting the impact on the rock and route. We used a water cooled core bit to drill around the outside of a 3/8" wedge anchor, and then used a hydraulic punch driver to pull the bolt out. The resulting hole was clean and could be drilled out for a larger diameter bolt to be used again.

We were working with fountain sandstone rocks laying flat on the ground and did not test the core drill/hydraulic driver combo on other materials. This is a work in progress. We know that other climbers have experimented with core drilling, and that this method of anchor replacement is common in some industrial settings. We are currently refining our equipment and techniques and hope to be able to conduct tests in a real world setting soon.

We welcome your comments and suggestions - thanks for watching!

-Action Committee for Eldorado
http://www.aceeldo.org/

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[lscritch]

Take some care not to beat the hell out of the hanger!!